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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260628T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260628T170000
DTSTAMP:20260626T101037Z
CREATED:20260326T090027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T101037Z
UID:11439-1782662400-1782666000@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Hen\, Mistress of Mayhem: A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes
DESCRIPTION:Darren Coffield in conversation with James Cahill\nHen\, Mistress of Mayhem: A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes\nSunday 28 June 2026\, 4.00pm (string quartet in the garden from 3pm – do join us early for that!)\nThe Gibberd Garden\, Marsh Lane\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM17 0NA\nDarren Coffield will be exploring his book\, Hen Mistress of Mayhem: A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes\, providing  a unique insight into 1950-60s Bohemia and the key players of the fashion\, music and art scene. \nHen\, Mistress of Mayhem takes you to the epicentre of Soho’s Golden Age; stage by stage it forms a complete guide to a hell-raising companion. \nUniquely told from the viewpoint of the women who knew her\, including Maggi Hambling\, not the famous male artists who painted her. \nTickets:\n£15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nor both events for £25 / £18 concessions \nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948 \nPart of our Harlow weekend – Essex Book Festival is delighted to be heading to Harlow for a weekend of writing workshops\, author and artist talks\, family games\, and poetry. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/harlow-weekend/. \n  \nSuma Quartet\, a string quartet will be playing at The Gibberd Garden from 3pm to 4pm. \n\n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n☕ There will be a pop-up tea room serving refreshments and snacks.\n🏠 Tickets include entry to the House and Garden. Entry to the House is limited\, timed entry passes are available\, first come first served on the day. \n\n\nTicket Deal\n\nMake an afternoon of it with our Gibberd Garden ticket deal – Tickets £15 per event or both events for £25 (Concessions £12 per event or both events for £18).\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for both events are booked: \n2.00pm – Maggi Hambling in conversation with James Cahill\n4.00pm – Darren Coffield\, Hen\, Mistress of Mayhem \n\n\n\n\n\n\nDarren Coffield\n\nPhoto of Darren Coffield © Darren Coffield \n\n\nDarren Coffield studied at Goldsmiths College\, Camberwell School of Art\, and the Slade School of Art in London\, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Art in 1993. He has exhibited widely in the company of many leading artists\, including Damien Hirst\, Howard Hodgkin\, Patrick Caulfield and Gilbert and George. \nIn 2014\, his contributions were recognised by ‘100 Painters of Tomorrow’. He is the author of Tales from the Colony Room: Soho’s Lost Bohemia (2021) and Queens of Bohemia (2024). \n\n\n\nHen\, Mistress of Mayhem\nA Portrait of Henrietta Moraes\nDarren Coffield\, foreword by Sarah Lucas\n\n\nPaints a vivid portrait of a Bohemian legend. \nHenrietta Moraes first discovered Soho when she was eighteen – or so she tells us. Her favourite sport was social climbing (heaven knows she enjoyed the exercise) and she was good at it\, going to all the right parties and simply gate-crashing others. \nFrom the summit of the 1950s bohemian scene she surveyed the life and times of those who broke all the rules\, such as the artists Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon (for whom she became a muse). \nBut that’s not all she did – as a key counter-culture figure in the 1960s Chelsea Set\, no other woman was more indefatigable in becoming a bohemian legend. \nThrough Hen\, you’ll learn how to steal your best friend’s boyfriend; enchant and ensnare a husband; blossom into a magnificent muse; dress like a comic book superhero; become a connoisseur of every illicit drug known to medical science and dose a Rolling Stones concert with them; join the caravan set and head along the gypsy trail in search of the Holy Grail\, before rematerialising as the minder for a mind-blowing pop icon… \nAlong the way you’ll indulge in the gentle art of cadging drinks; the feline felony of cat burglary; the canny craft of charity shop shoplifting and the haphazardness of steamy sex in second-hand bookshops. \nHen\, Mistress of Mayhem takes you to the epicentre of Soho’s Golden Age; stage by stage it forms a complete guide to a hell-raising companion. \nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org. – released 02 April 2026
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/hen-mistress-of-mayhem-a-portrait-of-henrietta-moraes/
LOCATION:The Gibberd Garden\, Marsh Lane\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM17 0NA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,In Conversation
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260620T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260620T150000
DTSTAMP:20260615T104909Z
CREATED:20260326T090022Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T104909Z
UID:11399-1781964000-1781967600@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Anywhere But Here
DESCRIPTION:Nicola Kelly\nAnywhere But Here\nSaturday 20 June\, 2.00pm\nChelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1TY\nFrom an award-winning journalist comes the hugely timely story of Britain’s broken asylum system and the search for belonging in Britain today. With unique and unparalleled access\, former Home Office insider Nicola Kelly takes us behind the scenes what happens when you arrive here in the UK\, from boat to shore to holding room and beyond. \nTickets: £15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948 \n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book can be ordered online from Chelmsford Cathedral. Copies of the book will also be available to buy at the event.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Refreshments will be available to buy at this event – cash and card payments taken\n🚗 Chelmsford Cathedral is a 5 minute walk from the train station and bus station. The Cathedral does not have its own car park but there are a number of public car parks within a short walking distance: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/car-parks/.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nNicola Kelly\n\nPhoto of Nicola Kelly © Alice Zoo \n\n\nNicola Kelly is an award-winning investigative journalist and writer focused on UK immigration and asylum. Her reporting regularly appears in the Guardian\, Observer\, Independent\, OpenDemocracy and elsewhere. Before moving into journalism\, she worked as a diplomat for the Foreign\, Commonwealth and Development Office\, with postings in Brussels and Istanbul. Later\, she moved to the Home Office\, working in their press office\, before leaving the civil service during the rollout of the hostile environment policy. Her reporting has been referenced in several legal challenges against Conservative Home Secretaries\, as well as submissions and human rights reports. \n  \nBluesky: @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social \nX: @NicolaKelly \n\n\n\n\nAnywhere But Here: Stories of the Search for Belonging in Modern Britain\n\n\nFrom an award-winning journalist comes the hugely timely story of Britain’s broken asylum system and the search for belonging in Britain today. \nLonglisted for the 2025 Moore Prize for Human Rights \nWhat is it like to arrive on our shores with nothing and to be pushed to the margins? \n\n\n‘Brilliant and hugely timely.’\n– Caroline Lucas\, author of Another England\n\n\n‘Will ignite both your compassion and your rage.’\n– Grace Blakeley\, author of Vulture Capitalism\n\n\nEach year tens of thousands of people risk their lives to cross the Channel in small boats hoping to find safety in Britain. Yet the very system designed to protect them has all but collapsed. \nWith unique and unparalleled access\, award-winning journalist and former Home Office insider Nicola Kelly takes us behind the scenes what happens when you arrive here in the UK\, from boat to shore to holding room and beyond. \nHere we meet the under-resourced coastguard overseeing search and rescue operations. The decision-makers hired from fast food outlets to conduct ‘life and death’ asylum interviews. The immigration barristers securing last-minute reprieves for deportees. The people rioting outside asylum hotels because ‘nobody is listening’. And we step inside the Home Office corridors as ministers and advisors respond to emerging crises and scandals\, from Windrush and Rwanda to the ‘one in; one out’ policy. \nSituated on the beaches and the ports\, in the hotels\, the courtrooms and the detention centres where futures unfold\, these are the extraordinary stories of struggle\, survival and hope that come in the search for belonging in Britain today. \n\n‘Puts the stories of displaced people front and centre.’\n– The Herald\n\nBuy a copy of the book from Chelmsford Cathedral\n\nPraise for Anywhere But Here\n\n‘A tour de force of reporting\, a harrowing tale of human experience and a devastating indictment of serial failures by Britain’s political class. With her roadmap for reform\, Nicola Kelly’s book should be required reading for every incoming Home Secretary.’\n– Ben Rawlence\, author of City of Thorns\n\n\n‘Sharing the powerful human stories behind the statistics\, Kelly shines an unflinching spotlight on the scale of injustice and incompetence at the heart of Britain’s broken asylum system … Beautifully written\, bold and brave\, Anywhere But Here … should be on every desk not just in the Home Office\, but throughout government.’\n– Caroline Lucas\, author of Another England\n\n\n‘A stunning expose of the UK’s broken asylum system … This book will ignite both your compassion and your rage.’\n– Grace Blakeley\, author of Vulture Capitalism\n\n\n‘An urgent and searing expose of the British immigration system and its failings\, Anywhere But Here draws from a range of eyewitness accounts from refugees\, politicians\, coastguards\, and more to reveal the full extent of the injustices and tragedies of the small boat crisis.’\n– Waterstones\n\n\n‘Kelly’s book\, Anywhere But Here\, brings such a human and humane perspective to an issue that is politicised and toxic.’\n– The Guardian\n\n\n‘Kelly remains poised\, articulate and informed by exhaustive knowledge. Above all\, to read Anywhere But Here is to follow her in the search for justice.’\n– New Statesman\n\n\n‘A deeply reported\, richly textured expose… This isn’t just a story about how Britain’s asylum system fails those it is supposed to protect\, it’s a vital account of how a broken system fails all of us.’\n– Peter Geoghegan\, author of Democracy for Sale\n\n\n‘Reporting the subject of asylum\, and telling the stories of those who try to claim it\, is essential work\, but in Kelly’s hands it is also elegant\, gripping and lucid … This is a remarkably human book.’\n– Sophie Elmhirst\, author of Maurice and Maralyn (winner of the Costa Book Award)
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/anywhere-but-here/
LOCATION:Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,Non-fiction
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260619T143000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260619T153000
DTSTAMP:20260522T085801Z
CREATED:20260326T090016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260522T085801Z
UID:11395-1781879400-1781883000@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Somewhere\, a Boy and a Bear - SOLD OUT
DESCRIPTION:Gyles Brandreth\nSomewhere\, a Boy and a Bear\n\nFriday 19 June 2026\, 2.30pm\nChelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1TY\n2026 marks the centenary of the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh\, one of the best-selling children’s books of all time.  Best-selling biographer Gyles Brandreth knew the real Christopher Robin and his new book is both an intimate and revealing biography of A A Milne (to whom there was so much more than Pooh) and a fascinating exploration of fathers and sons\, children and their parents and the nature of childhood itself. \n\n‘Gyles Brandreth has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart.’\n– The Times\n\n2026 is also the centenary of Elizabeth II.  Gyles Brandreth is also the author of the number one Sunday Times best seller Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait\, and the late Queen had a special interest in Winnie the Pooh which Gyles may be talking about too! \nTickets: £15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948 \n  \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book can be ordered online from Chelmsford Cathedral. Copies of the book will also be available to buy at the event.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Refreshments will be available to buy at this event – cash and card payments taken\n🚗 Chelmsford Cathedral is a 5 minute walk from the train station and bus station. The Cathedral does not have its own car park but there are a number of public car parks within a short walking distance: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/car-parks/.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n💬 There will be live subtitles by Stagetext for this event.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event. \n\n\n\n\n\nGyles Brandreth\n\nGyles Brandreth has been fascinated by the world of Winnie-the-Pooh since he was a small boy being brought up in London a few streets away from the house of Pooh’s creator\, A A Milne. In the 1980s Gyles began researching the life of A A Milne and became friends with Milne’s only son\, the real Christopher Robin. That friendship has led to this book. And to his surprise\, the research for the book has led him to Jamaica and the USA\, as well as Buckingham Palace and the Ashdown Forest. \nGyles Brandreth’s best-selling books include biographies of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip\, as well as the actor Sir John Gielgud and the Victorian music-hall star\, Dan Leno. He is the author of seven Victorian murder mysteries (featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle as his detectives)\, two volumes of diaries and an acclaimed childhood memoir\, Odd Boy Out. \nAs well as a writer\, he is a broadcaster\, podcaster\, trustee of The Queen’s Reading Room charity\, former MP\, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury\, and Chancellor of the University of Chester\, probably best known for his appearances on shows like Just a Minute\, Countdown\, QI\, Celebrity Gogglebox\, Would I Lie to You? and This Morning. \nAs an actor he has appeared as Malvolio in Twelfth Night\, Claudius in Hamlet and Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest. Since 2017 he has been appearing on stage with Dame Judi Dench in a show celebrating her life and on tour throughout the country with his own one-man show. An award-winning podcaster\, he hosts the multi-million-download Top Ten podcast Rosebud exploring the first memories and childhoods of remarkable people. \nWebsite: www.gylesbrandreth.net \n\n\n\nSomewhere\, a Boy and a Bear: A Biography of A A Milne\, Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh\n\n\nGyles Brandreth both explores – and explains – the phenomenon of Winnie-the-Pooh and tells the remarkable story of A A Milne\, a playwright\, a crime writer\, a poet\, a polemicist and humorist. \nWhen Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared in print on Christmas Eve 1925\, his creator had no idea that this bear\, and the fellow inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood\, would go on to capture the imaginations of people of all ages all over the world for the next hundred years. \nIn this new biography Gyles Brandreth tells the remarkable story of A A Milne – and of the ‘bear of very little brain’ who went on to become a global phenomenon. \nDrawing on his friendship with Milne’s son\, the real Christopher Robin\, Gyles Brandreth has produced a revealing and intimate portrait of a prolific author whose legacy came to be defined by his most famous creation\, and of the divided Milne family who for many years had a conflicted relationship with the iconic bear. \nThis is the story of a man\, a boy and a bear – but it is also a gripping family drama\, and a fascinating exploration of the complicated nature of growing up\, and the impossible longing for a return to the enchanted places of childhood. \nOrder a copy of the book for £19.50 (RRP £25.00) from Chelmsford Cathedral. \n  \nA Compelling Storyteller \nAs a royal biographer\, the author of a Sunday Times bestselling poetry anthology and as the nation’s greatly loved broadcaster\, Gyles Brandreth is the ultimate author to tell the tale of Winnie-the-Pooh and the man behind the iconic bear. Brandreth is also the founder of the award winning teddy bear museum at Newby Hall\, The Bear House \nUnrivalled Access \nIn the 1980s Gyles Brandreth wrote a play about the Milne family during which became friends with the real Christopher Robin and his wife\, Lesley\, and began to discover the complex story of Christopher Robin’s parents \nCentenary Publication \nThe book will coincide with Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th birthday – for which Gyles has campaigned to have Christopher Robbin’s original childhood toys to be returned to England from the New York Public Library \nExciting and Diverse Characters \nWith an extraordinary cast list (including Winston Churchill\, Elizabeth II and Walt Disney)\, love affairs and litigation\, idyllic games of Pooh sticks and heart-rending family rifts\, this is the remarkable story of one of Britain’s most brilliant yet least known writers and of his most famous creation.
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/somewhere-a-boy-and-a-bear/
LOCATION:Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,SOLD OUT!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T200000
DTSTAMP:20260326T091012Z
CREATED:20260326T090028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T091012Z
UID:11365-1781204400-1781208000@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Nine Lives of Annie Besant
DESCRIPTION:Clare Paterson\nThe Nine Lives of Annie Besant\nThursday 11 June 2026\, 7.00pm\nWI Centre\, Whitelands\, Terling Road\, Hatfield Peverel\, Essex\, CM3 2AG\nAward-winning British TV producer and author Clare Paterson joins us for a fascinating conversation about her latest book. \nThe Nine Lives of Annie Besant charts the extraordinary – and largely untold – story of a pioneering Victorian feminist – a rebel with a thousand causes\, and a thorn in the side of power across two continents. \nIn partnership with Federation of Essex Women’s Institutes. \nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 1206 573948 \n  \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Refreshments will be available.\n🚗 The venue has ample free parking on site.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site. \n  \n\n  \nClare Paterson\n \nClare Paterson has extensive experience of commissioning and producing television programmes from The Great British Bake-Off to the multi-award winning Exodus- Our Journey to Europe. Her first book\, Mr Horniman’s Walrus\, was published in September 2022. \nThe Nine Lives of Annie Besant: The Astonishing Story of a Victorian Rebel\n \nA rebel with a thousand causes\, and a thorn in the side of power across two continents. \nOn Thursday\, 5 April 1877 police charged 30-year-old Annie Besant and her colleague Charles Bradlaugh with breaching the Obscene Publications Act 1857. \nThe reason was the scandalous sale of a slim book called The Fruits of Philosophy. If the fictional Lady Chatterley’s Lover was the subject of the case in 1960 which horrified and delighted in equal measure\, this was the non-fiction equivalent nearly a century earlier. The publication of this birth control guide\, which the prosecutor in the trial referred to as a ‘filthy\, dirty book’\, caused a sensation and made Annie famous. \nA heroine of Indian nationalism\, Annie Besant was a pioneering feminist – a woman who refused to be defined. \nBut Annie’s extraordinary influence stretched from the Western to the Eastern hemisphere and from the secular to the occult. She became a committed Theosophist and moved to India where she was a celebrated campaigner for Indian Home-Rule. \nIn a police report commissioned by the government on the dangers posed by Annie towards the end of her life\, the investigator commented that ‘the perpetual struggle of the violent reformer against constitutional authority continued.’ She was recognised then\, and should be now\, as a formidable and fearless fighter. \nAnnie’s life has been cherry picked by historians\, partly because the stories are rich and engaging but also to avoid the awkwardness of her theosophical incarnation. \nIn The Nine Lives of Annie Besant\, Clare Paterson charts the extraordinary – and largely untold – story of this pioneering Victorian feminist. \nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org. \n  \n \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/the-nine-lives-of-annie-besant/
LOCATION:WI Centre\, Whitelands\, Whitelands Business Park\, Terling Road\, Hatfield Peverel\, Essex\, CM3 2AG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250629T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250629T170000
DTSTAMP:20250403T140649Z
CREATED:20250403T085043Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250403T140649Z
UID:10144-1751212800-1751216400@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Queen James
DESCRIPTION:Gareth Russell\, Queen James\nHistorian and broadcaster\, Gareth Russell\, will explore the life and loves of Britain’s first King. James Stuart did not always love wisely\, but he never failed to do so boldly. This groundbreaking book puts James – genius\, liar\, spendthrift\, idealist\, witch-hunter – and the men he loved at the centre of one of the most dramatic stories in British royal history. \n‘A warts and all story told with compassion’ – Philippa Gregory \nThis event will include an audience Q&A and after the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by Gareth. \n  \nSunday 29th June\, 4.00pm\nVenue: Layer Marney Tower\, Near Colchester\, CO5 9US\nTickets: £14 (includes entrance to Layer Marney Tower and gardens)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n  \n\n  \n \nThis event is part of our History Books day at Layer Marney Tower. Built as a statement house by Henry\, 1st Lord Marney\, Henry VIII’s Lord Privy Seal\, in the 1520s\, Layer Marney Tower is one of the jewels in the Essex ‘crown’. And\, as such\, the perfect venue for The History Books. \nMake a day of it. Explore the UK’s tallest Tudor Gatehouse and stunning gardens for free with your Essex Book Festival ticket. \nFind out more about The History Books Day at essexbookfestival.org.uk/the-history-books-2025/. \n  \n \nThe History Books Ticket Deal – £14 per event or all 3 events for £36\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for all 3 events are booked: \n12.00pm – Paul French\, Her Lotus Year\n2.00pm – S.J. Parris\, Traitor’s Legacy\n4.00pm – Gareth Russell\, Queen James \n  \n\n  \nQueen James: The Life and Loves of Britain’s First King\n \nJames Stuart\, King of England\, Scotland\, and Ireland did not always love wisely\, but he never failed to do so boldly. \nHe fell in love three times – once with George Villiers\, ‘the handsomest man in the whole world’ – and he was infatuated three more times – including with a Highland earl and an English spy. We have so much on the six wives of Henry VIII\, why not the six loves of James I? \nThis groundbreaking new book puts James – genius\, liar\, spendthrift\, idealist\, witch-hunter – and the men he loved at the centre of one of the most dramatic stories in British royal history. \nBeginning with the brutal and mysterious murder of his father in 1567\, James’s life encompassed kidnapping\, witchcraft trials\, torture\, his mother’s beheading\, poison\, political radicalism\, religious fundamentalism\, a queen’s alleged abortion\, passionate sex\, strong love\, stronger hate\, espionage\, brothels\, and a decade-long love affair that ended in assassination. \nIt is unquestionably one of the most gripping stories in British history\, retold in Gareth Russell’s Queen James with scholarship\, biographical insight and wit. \n  \nOrder a copy of Queen James by Gareth Russell from the Essex Book Festival online bookshop at bookshop.org \n‘Gareth Russell cannot write an uninteresting book and this study of the heir to Elizabeth I describes the orphaned boy and lonely youth to better understand the troubled man he became. James is that most interesting of men – one whose best acts contribute to his own destruction. It is a warts and all story told with compassion’ – Phillipa Gregory \n‘Books like this don’t come along very often. Told with Gareth Russell’s characteristic verve and exquisite eye for detail\, it is a story so compelling and surprising that it feels as if it has been hiding in plain sight for 400 years. A stunning achievement and a must for history fans everywhere.’ – Tracy Borman\, Chief Historian Historic Royal \n  \n\n  \nGareth Russell\nPhoto of Gareth Russell credit Jake Douglas \nGareth Russell is an historian and broadcaster. His books include Young and Damned and Fair\, The Ship of Dreams\, Do Let’s Have Another Drink and The Palace. He is the host of the podcast Single Malt History with Gareth Russell and he divides his time between Belfast and London. \n  \n  \n\n  \n \n  \n \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/queen-james/
LOCATION:Layer Marney Tower\, Layer Marney\, CO5 9US
CATEGORIES:Biography
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250629T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250629T130000
DTSTAMP:20250429T152016Z
CREATED:20250403T085002Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250429T152016Z
UID:10133-1751198400-1751202000@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Wallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year in 1920s China
DESCRIPTION:Paul French\, Wallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year in 1920s China\nThe compelling story of Wallis Simpson’s controversial year in China\, 1924-1925 \nNew York Times bestselling author\, Paul French\, who specialises in the history of 20th century China\, joins us to examine a controversial and revealing period in the early life of the legendary Wallis Simpson. French will reveal the untold story of what really happened to Wallis during that year in China\, dispelling many of the myths and gossip surrounding it. \nThis event will include an audience Q&A and after the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by Paul. \nWallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year in 1920s China is due to be released in paperback on 10th July 2025 but early copies will be available to buy at this event. \nSunday 29th June\, 12\,00pm\nVenue: Layer Marney Tower\, Near Colchester\, CO5 9US\nTickets: £14 (includes entrance to Layer Marney Tower and gardens)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n  \n\n  \n \nThis event is part of our History Books day at Layer Marney Tower. Built as a statement house by Henry\, 1st Lord Marney\, Henry VIII’s Lord Privy Seal\, in the 1520s\, Layer Marney Tower is one of the jewels in the Essex ‘crown’. And\, as such\, the perfect venue for The History Books. \nMake a day of it. Explore the UK’s tallest Tudor Gatehouse and stunning gardens for free with your Essex Book Festival ticket. \nFind out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/the-history-books-2025/. \n  \n \nThe History Books Ticket Deal – £14 per event or all 3 events for £36\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for all 3 events are booked: \n12.00pm – Paul French\, Her Lotus Year\n2.00pm – S.J. Parris\, Traitor’s Legacy\n4.00pm – Gareth Russell\, Queen James \n  \n\n  \nWallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year in 1920s China by Paul French\n \nThe compelling story of Wallis Simpson’s controversial year in China\, 1924-1925. \nWallis Simpson by Paul French takes a headlong dive into what Simpson referred to as her ‘Lotus Year – her time spent in the chaotic and thrilling China of the 1920s. \nFrench explores the untold story of a woman too often maligned by history. From the breakdown of her abusive first marriage to undertaking dangerous undercover diplomatic missions in a China torn by civil war\, Wallis established her confidence and independence\, developed her unique fashion sense\, and forged lifelong friendships. \nShe emerged from that year in China as the elegant\, stylish\, cosmopolitan and worldly woman for whom a king gave up his throne. \n  \nOrder a Hardback copy of Her Lotus Year by Paul French from the Essex Book Festival online bookshop at bookshop.org \nWallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year in 1920s China is due to be released in paperback on 10th July 2025 but early copies will be available to buy at this event. \n  \n\n  \nPaul French\nPhoto of Paul French credit Sue Anne Tay \nPaul French was born in London and lived and worked in Shanghai for many years. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times Bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. He received the Mystery Writers’ of America Edgar award for Best Fact Crime and a Crime Writers’ Association (UK) Dagger award for non-fiction. His most recent book City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir\, received much praise with The Economist writing\, ‘…in Mr French the city has its champion storyteller.’ Both Midnight in Peking and City of Devils are currently in development for film. He lives in central London. \nBluesky: @chinarhyming.bsky.social \n  \n\n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/her-lotus-year/
LOCATION:Layer Marney Tower\, Layer Marney\, CO5 9US
CATEGORIES:Biography
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250622T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250622T150000
DTSTAMP:20250403T133516Z
CREATED:20250403T085056Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250403T133516Z
UID:10094-1750600800-1750604400@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Derek Jarman: The Authorised Biography
DESCRIPTION:Tony Peake\, Derek Jarman: The Authorised Biography\nWe are thrilled to welcome Tony Peake in celebration of this new edition of Derek Jarman: The Authorised Biography covering Jarman’s story from childhood to student life and his work as a designer\, painter\, and filmmaker. New contributions look at Jarman’s impact and legacy over the past five decades and his position as one of the late twentieth century’s most celebrated cultural figures. \nThis event is in partnership with The Minories. \n\nThis event will include an audience Q&A and after the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by Tony.\n\n\n\nSunday 22nd June\, 2.00pm\nVenue: The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE\nTickets: £12 / £10 concessions (Students\, Under 27s and Unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n  \n\n  \nThis event is part of our Day on the Wild Side at The Minories on Sunday 22nd June \n \n12.00 – 3.00pm Storytelling and Family Fun in The Minories Garden \n2.00pm Tony Peake\, Derek Jarman: The Authorised Biography \n4.00pm Maggi Hambling and James Cahill\, The Violet Hour \n6.00pm Radhika Howarth\, Flavours Without Borders at The Commons Community Kitchen & Cafe at The Minories \nFind out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/a-day-on-the-wild-side/ \n  \n  \n\n  \nDerek Jarman: The Authorised Biography by Tony Peake\n \nNew edition of the classic authorised biography of one of the late twentieth century’s most celebrated cultural figures. \n‘The definitive biography’ – Neil Tennant\n‘Monumentally well researched and fittingly respectful’ – The Times\n‘Outstanding’ – Financial Times\n‘Peake has given Derek Jarman the biography he deserves’ – Gay Times \nDerek Jarman: The Authorised Biography by Tony Peake was first published in 1999\, five years after Jarman’s death and has been out of print for ten years. This new edition has contributions by Olivia Laing and Jon Savage\, looking at Jarman’s impact and legacy over the past five decades. Tony Peake enjoyed unprecedented access to the visionary artist’s archives and the new edition includes hitherto unpublished photographs. \nThis authorised and unique biography covers Jarman’s story from the bleakness of post-war Britain and his RAF childhood\, to student life at The Slade and his work as a designer\, painter and filmmaker. It tells how energetic home filmmaking with dazzling friends led to distinctive feature films including Sebastiane\, The Tempest\, and Caravaggio. There were collaborations with the likes of Sir John Gielgud and Tilda Swinton and Jarman was also at the forefront of popular culture\, producing distinctive music videos for Pet Shop Boys and The Smiths. \nAlongside his art and a significant body of writing\, Jarman created a singular garden in the shingle surrounding Prospect Cottage at Dungeness in Kent\, which has become a site of memorial\, celebration and pilgrimage. He became known as an impassioned and provocative spokesperson not only for gay men\, but for anyone oppressed by bigotry. \nDerek Jarman died of AIDS-related causes in February 1994 and Peake describes his inimitable courage and grace in the face of painful death\, and the legacies Jarman left behind. \n  \nOrder a copy of Derek Jarman: The Authorised Biography by Tony Peake at the Essex Book Festival online bookshop at bookshop.org \n  \n\n  \nTony Peake\nPhoto of Tony Peake credit Katherine Lees \nTony Peake is a novelist\, short story writer\, biographer and also worked for many years as a literary agent. He became friends with Derek Jarman during the last eight years of Jarman’s life. His novel\, If It’s Tuesday will be published later this year (Roundfire Books). He currently spends most of his time\, when not travelling\, in London and Essex\, where he lives with his civil partner and enjoys being grandfather to his five grandchildren. He is a patron of the Jarman Award\, which supports and champions the most innovative UK-based artists working with moving image. \n  \nTony Peake will be in conversation with James Cahill\nPhoto of James Cahill credit Marc Vallee \nDr James Cahill is an author\, critic and art historian. His debut novel\, Tiepolo Blue (2022) was shortlisted for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award\, and was selected in autumn 2024 for the Queen’s Reading Room. His second novel\, The Violet Hour\, was published in February 2025. He contributes to publications including Artforum\, the Brooklyn Rail\, the Burlington Magazine\, the Los Angeles Review of Books\, the London Review of Books\, the Spectator\, the Times Literary Supplement and the Daily Telegraph. Based between London and Los Angeles\, he is currently writing a book on David Hockney’s 1967 painting\, Beverly Hills Housewife. \n  \n  \n\n  \n \n  \n \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/derek-jarman-the-authorised-biography/
LOCATION:The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:Biography
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250620T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250620T200000
DTSTAMP:20250501T193544Z
CREATED:20250403T085019Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T193544Z
UID:10063-1750446000-1750449600@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Grammar of Angels
DESCRIPTION:Edward Wilson-Lee\, The Grammar of Angels\nIn The Grammar of Angels\, Edward Wilson-Lee tells how Renaissance prodigy and polymath Giovanni Pico della Mirandola dedicated his short\, brilliant life to a quest to find the sublime; to reconcile all existing thought into a philosophy that would settle the most important questions about human existence. This philosophy would\, he believed\, provide tools by which man could transcend his mortal limitations and join the ranks of angels. \nThis event will be chaired by Jessica Martin\, Dean of Chelmsford Cathedral. \nThe event will include an audience Q&A and at the end of the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by Edward.\n\nIn partnership with Chelmsford Cathedral.\n\n\n\nFriday 20th June\, 7.00pm\nVenue: Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1TY\nTickets: £15 / £12 concessions (Students\, Under 27s and Unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n  \n\n  \nThe Grammar of Angels by Edward Wilson-Lee\n \n‘A deeply fascinating\, sui generis book by a brilliant scholar-writer\, which uses the life-story of a Renaissance prodigy to summon an angel-host of ideas\, people and stories\, all circling the question of language’s ability to transcend the mortal realm.’ – Robert McFarlane \nThe Grammar of Angels tells how Renaissance prodigy and polymath Giovanni Pico della Mirandola dedicated his short\, brilliant life to a quest to find the sublime; to reconcile all existing thought into a philosophy that would settle the most important questions about human existence. This philosophy would\, he believed\, provide tools by which man could transcend his mortal limitations and join the ranks of angels. \nIn 1486\, when he was just 23\, he declared his intention to defend 900 theses on religion\, philosophy\, natural philosophy and magic for which he wrote a book that is deemed the ‘manifesto of the Renaissance’. It is also the first printed book to be universally banned by the Church. \nGiovanni Pico della Mirandola died mysteriously aged only 31. His life is a testament to intellectual daring\, to a human dignity founded in the willingness to think the unthinkable and to peer over the edge of the abyss in search of answers. \nRead the Guardian Review of The Grammar of Angels: The short\, blazing life of Italian philosopher Pico della Mirandola. \n  \n\n  \nEdward Wilson-Lee\nPhoto of Edward Wilson-Lee credit Jeff Wilson \nEdward Wilson-Lee is the prizewinning author of Shakespeare in Swahililand\, The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books\, and The History of Water as well as many other publications for an academic audience. He grew up in east Africa with his wildlife conservationist parents and now teaches medieval and Renaissance literature at Sidney Sussex College\, Cambridge. \n  \n\n  \n  \n \n  \n \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/the-grammar-of-angels/
LOCATION:Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250612T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250612T200000
DTSTAMP:20250319T110537Z
CREATED:20250403T085029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250319T110537Z
UID:10017-1749754800-1749758400@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Scapegoat
DESCRIPTION:Lucy Hughes-Hallett\, The Scapegoat\nFrom the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize\, a stunning biography of one of the most flamboyant and enigmatic seventeenth-century Englishmen at the heart of political and royal life. Lucy Hughes-Hallett will transport us into a courtly world of masques and dancing\, exquisite clothes\, the art of Rubens and Van Dyck\, gender-fluidity\, same-sex desire\, and appallingly rudimentary medicine. \n\nThis event will include an audience Q&A and after the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by Lucy.\n\nIn partnership with Anglia Ruskin University.\n\n\n\nThursday 12th June\, 7.00pm\nVenue: Anglia Ruskin University\, Bishop Hall Lane\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1SQ\nTickets: £12 / £10 concessions (Students\, Under 27s and Unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n  \n\n  \nThe Scapegoat by Lucy Hughes-Hallett\n \nFrom the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize\, a stunning biography of one of the most flamboyant and enigmatic seventeenth-century Englishmen at the heart of political and royal life. \nAs King James I’s favourite\, George Villiers\, Duke of Buckingham was the King’s gatekeeper\, right-hand man and lover. When Charles I succeeded his father\, he was similarly enthralled and made Buckingham his best friend and first minister. A dazzling figure on horseback and a skilful player of the political game\, Buckingham rapidly transformed the influence his beauty gave him into immense wealth and power. \nWith a novelist’s touch\, Lucy Hughes-Hallett transports us into a courtly world of masques and dancing\, exquisite clothes\, the art of Rubens and Van Dyck\, gender-fluidity\, same-sex desire\, and appallingly rudimentary medicine. Witch hunts coexisted with Francis Bacon’s empiricism and public opinion was becoming a political force. \nBuckingham’s story was part of a great political drama. Falling from grace spectacularly\, he came to represent everything that was wrong with the country. From kidnappings and murder plots to men weeping in Parliament over civil liberties\, The Scapegoat navigates love\, war-fever and pacifism in a society on the brink of cataclysmic change. In this richly compelling and authoritative account\, Hughes-Hallett summons an era that still resonates today. \n  \n‘Lord Buckingham rockets off the page of this gloriously epic\, seductively detailed biography: a man of impossible contradictions\, at once hubristic warmonger\, tender lover and brilliant power-broker to two kings. Lucy Hughes-Hallett opens a spyhole into the dark\, strange world of the Stuart kings\, with its masques and superstitions\, where a beautiful boy could rise to become the most powerful man in Britain’ – Olivia Laing\, author of The Garden Against Time \n  \nOrder a copy of The Scapegoat by Lucy Hughes-Hallett at the Essex Book Festival online bookshop at bookshop.org \n  \n\n  \nLucy Hughes-Hallett\n \nLucy Hughes-Hallett’s last work of non-fiction was The Pike: Gabriele D’annunzio\, Poet\, Seducer and Preacher of War which won the Baillie Gifford Prize\, the Duff Cooper Prize\, the Political Biography of the Year Award and the Costa Biography Award. In 2020 it was named ‘biography of the decade’ in the Sunday Times. \nSince then Lucy has written the novel Peculiar Ground (set largely in the seventeenth century) which was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize\, and Fabulous\, a collection of short stories. Her earlier books were Cleopatra: Histories\, Dreams and Distortions\, which won the Fawcett Prize (1990) and Heroes\, (2004) \n  \n\n  \n \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/the-scapegoat/
LOCATION:Anglia Ruskin University\, Bishop Hall Lane\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1SQ
CATEGORIES:Biography,History
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250611T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250611T200000
DTSTAMP:20250529T152724Z
CREATED:20250403T085058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250529T152724Z
UID:10012-1749668400-1749672000@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Stars to Steer By
DESCRIPTION:Julia Jones\, Stars to Steer By\nCelebrating the 20th century women who went to sea\, Julia Jones will be diving into the stories of an array of incredible\, unconventional and extraordinary women who set their sights on the sea in an all-male world\, and paved the way for the female sailing superstars of today. \nThis event will include an audience Q&A and after the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by Julia. \n  \n‘For Men Must Work and Women Must Weep’ – Must They? \nResponding to this year’s festival theme\, Communities Within Communities\, author Julia Jones has written a fascinating blog which explores the notion of community from multiple perspectives\, including in relation to Essex’s rich and diverse heritage. Read the blog here. \n  \n‘Why every sailor needs a suspender belt’ \nRead the Mail on Sunday review of Stars to Steer By by Julia Jones here. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nWednesday 11th June\, 7.00pm\nVenue: Frinton Library\, 59 Old Road\, Frinton-on-Sea\, CO13 9DA\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (Students\, Under 27s and Unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n  \n\n  \nStars to Steer By: Celebrating the 20th Century Women who went to Sea\, by Julia Jones\n \nThe extraordinary stories of the fearless women who set their sights on the sea in an all-male world\, and paved the way for the female sailing superstars of today. \n‘An entertaining and inspiring cruise through the lives of women sailors: adventurers\, racers\, travelers\, workers\, pootlers\, rich and poor\, happy and sad.’ – Louisa Young \nGender issues are stark at sea. Historically a ship’s crew is all male\, and although vessels are referred to as ‘she’\, women’s contributions to sailing have been largely ignored\, if not actively opposed. Today’s sailing legends such as Tracey Edwards and Ellen MacArthur compete with men on equal terms\, but they stand on the shoulders of many women before them\, who had to challenge preconceptions\, prejudice and even the law in their wish to sail. \nSpanning the 19th century to today\, Julia Jones dives into the lives of an array of incredible and unconventional women: we meet single-handed sailors\, wealthy explorers\, long-suffering wives and penniless chancers with a thirst for adventure. Each had to face down barriers of official exclusion\, family-imposed restriction\, social disapproval and often a resulting lack of self-belief. \nIn the 21st-century\, British women wear Admiral’s uniforms and break global yachting records\, yet their journey to professional sailing remains challenging\, and the public face of sailing remains mostly male – evident in the lack of female Commodores in prestigious yacht clubs. Even as sailing becomes more accessible\, the remarkable contributions within these stories are a precious source of inspiration to all women facing their own challenges today. \n  \nOrder a copy of Stars to Steer By by Julia Jones at the Essex Book Festival bookshop at bookshop.org \n  \n\n  \nJulia Jones\n \nJulia Jones is a writer\, campaigner and classic-yacht owner. She is literary editor for Yachting Monthly Magaznie and a regular contributor to Marine Quarterly and Practical Boat Owner. \nJulia’s introduction to boats happened early when her parents bought Arthur Ransome’s yacht Peter Duck. She soon discovered that her berth on board was the snuggest place in the world for reading\, writing and dreaming. Years later\, she discovered that her special reading place had originally been designed for Ransome to store his typewriter\, which inspired The Salt-Stained Book and her Strong Winds adventure series. More recently she explored the lives of WW2 RNVSR volunteers in Uncommon Courage (Adlard Coles). \n  \n\n  \n \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/stars-to-steer-by/
LOCATION:Frinton-on-Sea Library\, 59 Old Road\, Frinton-on-Sea\, Essex\, CO13 9DA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250607T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250607T130000
DTSTAMP:20250505T082615Z
CREATED:20250403T085035Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250505T082615Z
UID:9973-1749297600-1749301200@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal - SOLD OUT
DESCRIPTION:Robin Ince\, Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal\nComedian\, author and one half of BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage\, Robin Ince will be joining us for a quirky dive into the world of human behaviour. A powerful\, personal exploration of anxiety\, ADHD and neurodiversity\, Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal reminds us all – no matter how weird we feel – that it’s okay to be a little different. \nComplimentary coffee and cake on arrival. \nThis event will include an audience Q&A and after the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by the author. \n  \n** This event is sold out. To be added to the waiting list for this event please contact Mercury Box Office at tickets@mercurytheatre.co.uk or phone 01206 573948 Tuesday – Saturday\, 10am–8pm\n(also open Sunday 11am-6pm if there is a show on). ** \n  \n  \nSaturday 7th June\, 12.00pm\nVenue: Samaritans\, Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, CO2 7BN\nTickets: £10 / £8 Concessions ((Students\, Under 27s\, Unwaged and Samaritans volunteers)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n  \n\n  \n  \nNormally Weird and Weirdly Normal by Robin Ince\n \n“You need Robin Ince in your life.” – Natalie Haynes \nA powerful\, personal exploration of anxiety\, ADHD and neurodiversity\, Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal reminds us all – no matter how weird we feel – that it’s okay to be a little different. We all are. What if being a bit weird is actually entirely normal? What if sharing our internal struggles wasn’t a sign of weakness\, but strength? \nFor over thirty years\, award-winning broadcaster and comedian Robin Ince has entertained thousands in person and on air. But underneath the surface\, a whirlwind was at play – a struggle with sadness\, concentration\, self-doubt and near-constant anxiety. But then he discovered he had all the hallmarks of ADHD and his stumbling blocks became stepping stones. \nIn Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal\, Robin uses his own experiences to explore the neurodivergent experience and to ask what the point of “being normal” really is. Packed with personal insights\, intimate anecdotes and interviews with psychologists\, neuroscientists and many neurodivergent people he has met along the way\, this is a quirky and witty dive into the world of human behaviour. \n“One of the UK’s most accomplished comedians.” -The Bookseller \nOrder a copy of Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal by Robin Ince at bookshop.org \n  \n\n  \nRobin Ince\n \nRobin Ince is a comedian\, actor and writer. \nThe Guardian once declared him a ‘becardiganed polymath’ which seems about right. He is the author of several acclaimed books\, including The Importance of Being Interested and I’m a Joke and So Are You. \nWith Professor Brian Cox\, he created and presents the award-winning BBC Radio 4 show The Infinite Monkey Cage\, which ranks among the most popular science podcasts worldwide. \nHe also won Celebrity Mastermind but forgot that calcium was the dominant element of chalk. After being diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 52\, he finally has an excuse. \n  \n\n  \nYou may also be interested in… \nTom Lee\, The Bullet – taking place at this venue straight after Robin Ince’s event. \nSaturday 7th June\, 2.00pm\nTom Lee\, The Bullet\n \nIn The Bullet\, Tom Lee attempts to understand what happened to his parents – both were patients at Severalls Psychiatric Hospital in Colchester at different times in their lives – and what happened to him. It is a powerful and deeply personal exploration of mental health\, and an indelible account of the legacy of familial illness and living with a fracturing mind. \nFind out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/the-bullet/. \n  \n\n \n  \n \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/normally-weird-and-weirdly-normal/
LOCATION:Samaritans Colchester\, Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO2 7BN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,SOLD OUT!
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END:VCALENDAR